High performance steam cycle

Abstract

Implementations described herein provide a high efficiency steam cycle that includes a steam turbine cycle coupled to output of a high performance steam piston topping (HPSPT) cycle. The HPSPT cycle includes a piston-cylinder assembly that extracts work from an expanding fluid volume and operates in a thermal regime outside of thermal operational limits of a steam turbine. The steam turbine cycle utilizes heat, transferred at the output of the HPSPT cycle, to generate turbine work.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for producing mechanical power, comprising:
 receiving, at a first heat exchanger, pulses of pressurized fluid from an injector, the first heat exchanger adapted to flash-heat the pulses of pressurized fluid to a first input temperature greater than 650 degrees Celsius for direct injection of the flash-heated fluid into a cylinder of a reciprocating piston; and 
 operating the reciprocating piston to convert a portion of thermal energy of the flash-heated fluid volume into work. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 transferring, via a second heat exchanger, a portion of remaining non-converted thermal energy from a thermal output of the reciprocating piston to an input of a low temperature power cycle for conversion into work, the remaining non-converted thermal energy at a second temperature lower than the first input temperature. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the low temperature power cycle is a steam turbine cycle. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the transferring operation further comprises condensing a fluid volume output of the reciprocating piston. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchanger flash-heats the fluid volume in less than 100 milliseconds. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reciprocating piston converts the portion of the received thermal energy into work from a fluid volume by providing for expansion and cooling of the fluid volume. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 transferring, via direct fluid volume injection, a portion of remaining non-converted thermal energy from a thermal output of the reciprocating piston to an input of a low temperature power cycle for conversion into work, the remaining non-converted thermal energy at a second temperature lower than the first input temperature. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the low temperature power cycle is a steam turbine cycle. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchanger is a micro-fluidic heat exchanger. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1  further comprising generating pressurized fluid via a high-pressure pump prior to forming pulses of the pressurized fluid from the injector. 
     
     
       11. A system comprising:
 an injector adapted to receive pressured fluid and provide pressurized fluid pulses; 
 a flash-heat heat exchanger adapted to flash-heat the pressurized fluid pulses at an outlet pressure of at least 100 psia, the flash-heat heat exchanger directly coupled to a piston-cylinder assembly; and 
 a reciprocating piston of the piston-cylinder assembly with an input coupled to an output of the flash-heat heat exchanger, the reciprocating piston adapted to accept the pressurized fluid pulses at a first temperature and at least 100 psia and to release the pressurized fluid pulses at a second temperature, the second temperature lower than the first temperature. 
 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a thermal coupling that transfers heat from the released, pressurized fluid pulses to a low temperature power cycle to decrease the temperature of the pressurized fluid pulses down to a third temperature lower than the second temperature. 
 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the low temperature power cycle is a steam turbine cycle. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature exceeds 650 degrees Celsius. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 11  further comprising a high-pressure pump to provide the pressurized fluid. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 15 , wherein the high-pressure pump has a peak fluid pressure greater than about 500 psia. 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 11 , wherein the first heat exchanger is a micro-fluidic heat exchanger. 
     
     
       18. A topping piston engine comprising:
 a reciprocating piston; 
 a first heat exchanger coupled to a thermal energy input of the reciprocating piston; and 
 an injection valve upstream of the first heat exchanger adapted to receive pressurized fluid and provide pressurized fluid pulses synchronized with the reciprocating piston to the first heat exchanger; 
 the first heat exchanger adapted to flash-heat the fluid pulses; and 
 the reciprocating piston adapted to receive a quantity of thermal energy in the form of heated fluid mass from the first heat exchanger at a first input temperature greater than 650 degrees Celsius, the reciprocating piston converting a portion of the received thermal energy into work. 
 
     
     
       19. The topping piston engine of  claim 18 , wherein the first heat exchanger flash heats the fluid pulses in less than 100 milliseconds. 
     
     
       20. The topping piston engine of  claim 18 , wherein the reciprocating piston converts the portion of the received thermal energy into work by providing for expansion and cooling of a fluid volume. 
     
     
       21. The topping piston engine of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 a second heat exchanger adapted to couple a thermal output of the reciprocating piston to a low temperature power cycle, wherein the second heat exchanger is adapted to transfer a portion of remaining non-converted thermal energy at a second temperature lower than the first input temperature to the low temperature power cycle for conversion into work. 
 
     
     
       22. The topping piston engine of  claim 21 , wherein the low temperature power cycle is a steam turbine cycle. 
     
     
       23. The topping piston engine of  claim 21 , wherein the second heat exchanger condenses a gas output of the reciprocating piston into a liquid. 
     
     
       24. The topping piston engine of  claim 18 , further comprising a high pressure pump to provide the pressurized fluid to the injector. 
     
     
       25. The topping piston engine of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 an exhaust valve and a fluid conduit to couple a thermal output of the reciprocating piston to a low temperature power cycle, wherein the exhaust valve and the fluid conduit directly transfer a portion of remaining non-converted thermal energy at a second temperature lower than the first input temperature by directly transferring fluid volume to the low temperature power cycle for conversion into work. 
 
     
     
       26. The topping piston engine of  claim 18 , wherein the first heat exchanger is adapted to flash-heat the fluid pulses in timescales shorter than the duration of the power stroke of the reciprocating piston. 
     
     
       27. The topping piston engine of  claim 26 , wherein the first heat exchanger is adapted to flash-heat the fluid pulses in less than 10% of the duration of the power stroke of the reciprocating piston. 
     
     
       28. The topping piston engine of  claim 18 , wherein the first heat exchanger is a micro-fluidic heat exchanger. 
     
     
       29. The topping piston engine of  claim 18  further comprising a high-pressure pump. 
     
     
       30. A thermodynamic power cycle method comprising:
 using a thermal energy source greater than 650 degrees Celsius to heat a first working fluid to transfer thermal energy to a thermal engine as a thermal energy input to the thermal engine, the thermal engine capable of converting thermal energy to mechanical work; 
 generating pulses of a secondary working fluid via an injection valve and synchronizing the pulses of the secondary working fluid with a power generating period in the thermal engine; 
 transferring heat from the first working fluid to a micro-fluidic heat exchanger to flash-heat the pulses of the secondary working fluid to temperatures greater than 650 degrees Celsius in a time period less than the power generating period; 
 generating sufficient fluid pressure using a high-pressure pump to overcome the pressure drop of the pulses of the secondary fluid through the injection valve and the micro-fluidic heat exchanger while still providing sufficient fluid pressure to drive the power generating portion of the thermodynamic cycle in the thermal engine; and 
 converting a portion of the thermal energy contained in the pulses of the secondary working fluid into mechanical work through volumetric expansion of the secondary working fluid in the thermal engine. 
 
     
     
       31. The method of  claim 30 , wherein the thermal engine is a reciprocating piston engine. 
     
     
       32. The method of  claim 30 , wherein the secondary working fluid is exhausted from the thermal engine with a temperature to drive a secondary thermodynamic power cycle that operates at peak temperatures less than 650 degrees Celsius. 
     
     
       33. The method of  claim 30 , wherein the injection valve and the heat exchanger are adapted to flash-heat the pulses of a secondary working fluid in less than 10% of the duration of the power generating period. 
     
     
       34. The method of  claim 30 , wherein the high-pressure pump and the injection valve are adapted to function with the secondary working fluid in a compressed liquid phase.